- Born
- Birth nameHarry Julius Shearer
- Height5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
- Harry Shearer was born in 1943 in Los Angeles, California. His film debut was with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953), followed by The Robe (1953). Probably best known for his Saturday Night Live (1975) gigs, his NPR satire program "Le Show" and The Simpsons (1989), where he plays 21 characters. His best film may be This Is Spinal Tap (1984), where he played bass player Derek Smalls. There was also an episode on The Simpsons (1989) where he reprised this role. His film work includes Godzilla (1998), in which "Simpsons" cast members Hank Azaria and Nancy Cartwright also appeared. Shearer has also directed a film, Teddy Bears' Picnic (2001), in which he also stars.- IMDb Mini Biography By: A. Nonymous, amended by runar-4
- SpousesJudith Owen(March 28, 1993 - present)Penelope J. Nichols(June 12, 1974 - 1977) (divorced)
- ParentsMack ShearerDora Warren
- Wide voice range
- Deep resonant tones (which disappear when he voices 'Simpsons' characters like Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Lenny etc.)
- At 21 characters, he has the widest range of roles on The Simpsons (1989), including the maniacal Mr. Burns, local celebrity news anchor Kent Brockman and the Springfield God Squad Reverend Lovejoy and Ned Flanders.
- He was the last primary member of the cast of The Simpsons (1989) to win an Emmy Award for his work on the show after finally taking the award home in 2014.
- He's the only one of the six principal voice actors on The Simpsons (1989) not to have done a DVD commentary for the series.
- Although he was the second actor (after Christopher Collins) to voice Mr. Burns on The Simpsons (1989), he was the first to utter the line "Smithers . . . release the hounds.".
- He performed the precursor to the Eddie Haskell character in the pilot episode of the television series Leave It to Beaver (1957). After the filming, Shearer's parents said they did not want him to be a regular in a series. Instead they wanted him to just do occasional work so that he could get a normal childhood. Shearer and his parents made the decision not to accept the role in the series if it was picked up by a television network.
- If absolute power corrupts absolutely, does absolute powerlessness make you pure?
- [on which character in The Simpsons (1989) is hardest to voice] Burns requires lots of tea and honey.
- [asked how many characters on The Simpsons (1989) he voices] I think I do about 12 regular characters but I've been able to pad the resume with God, The Devil and Hitler.
- [criticizing the decline in quality of The Simpsons (1989)] I rate the last three seasons as among the worst, so Season 4 looks very good to me now.
- I write about broadcast indecency with something of a pedigree. Although it's not widely known - since the comedy group I was part of was not widely known - I was party to the first broadcast utterance of the word 'twat.'
- The Simpsons (1989) - $250,000 -$360,000 per episode (2004-2008)
- The Simpsons (1989) - $400,000 -$440,000 per episode (2008-2011)
- The Simpsons (1989) - $30,000 per episode (1989-1998)
- The Simpsons (1989) - $125,000 per episode (1998-2004)
- The Simpsons (1989) - $300,000 per episode (2011-)
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